FIRST HALF 18TH CENTURY

Carved hall benches represent a new and important phase in Dutch furniture-making in the first half of the 18th century. Their designs were influenced by the French architect and designer Daniel Marot (1661-1752). Having fled France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, he was appointed as court dessinateur by King Stadholder William III. His designs, published between 1703 and 1715, were instrumental for the introduction of the Louis XIV style to the Netherlands. Hall benches were created as decorative elements rather than seat-furniture. They were designed to harmonise with the stucco wall decoration. Related hall benches, often carved with acanthus foliage like the present lot, appear in the Schermerhorn Collection, Christie's, Amsterdam, 29 September 1999, lots 544 and 546.